Iran arrests at least 100 “rioters” in Lorestan as protests spread

Shafaq News– Tehran

Iranian security forces detained at least 100 “rioters and disruptors of public security” in Lorestan province as protests continued to spread across the country, local media reported on Saturday.

According to Tasnim News Agency, security units also targeted two alleged “terrorist cells” in Borujerd and Khorramabad, arresting 11 suspects accused of possessing firearms and bladed weapons. “The terrorists intended to carry out acts of chaos and killings in the province and blame the security forces.”

The arrests came as Iranian state television confirmed the deaths of two security personnel and the son of a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander during unrest in Khuzestan and Khorasan. No further details were provided.

Unrest began on December 28 after the Iranian rial plunged to a record low of about 1.45 million per US dollar, driving sharp food price increases. Iranian authorities have not released official casualty or arrest figures, though the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported demonstrations at nearly 300 locations across 111 cities in all 31 provinces, leaving at least 50 people dead, including police officers, and more than 2,200 arrested.

Read more: Iran’s protests between economic crisis and political contestation